Service Chiefs can’t be sacked, says FG

The Federal Government has responded to multiple calls for the sack of service chiefs.

Garba Shehu, Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, said that heads of security agencies would remain in service.

The increasing killing in the Northern part and general insecurity in Nigeria has led to many demanding the sack of the service chiefs.

Responding to the call, the Nigerian Government said sacking the chiefs would not solve the security problems in the country.

Shehu said, “Removal or sack of service chiefs does not stop all of what we are experiencing. Whether we like it or not, we are in a war situation. The President and the Commander-In-Chief is seeing things that others cannot see. This is why he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

“How can they say the President does not care? His heart is there on how to secure and protect this nation. He is being briefed adequately by the service chiefs and others and he gives directives as the C-In-C.

“It is people who don’t know what the government is doing that are saying the President does not care. They think security is like a market place where everybody is an expert.

“The President is a military man; he has been working very hard with others on multiple solutions to the challenges at hand.

“About 1,000 military hardware bought with military budget and special funds from the Presidency are on the high seas to strengthen the war against insurgency and banditry.

“While the military arsenal is not something you pay for and get, requiring mostly long-time orders, weapons will come in accordance with the terms of contracts.

“This country is expecting the commencement of the delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets, very effective in this kind of warfare, beginning next year from the United States.

“So much is happening but there is a regional nature of the challenges. At the last AU meeting, there were fears being expressed that terrorists might take over some African states.

“Some people can say that some of these countries are far from us, the truth is that the Sahel Region has a problem.

“The insurgents are carrying out attacks and raids in some countries like Nigeria which they consider lucrative because they abduct or kidnap and collect ransom and they raid to loot.

“The new AU Chairman, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has promised two Special Summits of the organisation this year bordering on security and African Continental Free Trade Area.”